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Busy spring, summer seasons ahead for Fremont County area

Plenty of events, activities planned for community

By CARIE CANTERBURY canterburyc@ cañoncitydailyrecord.com

Posted:
03/15/2013 08:58:39 PM MDT

It's time to get out the calendars and save some dates.

There won't be a dull moment in Cañon City or Fremont County this spring and summer. Event planners and organizers from across the community have been busy scheduling events from the annual Blossom festivities to the new and upcoming Ride the Rockies event.

Now is a good time to begin planning vacations around upcoming events so families won't miss out on summer fun, and it also is the perfect time to start inviting family and friends to see what Fremont County has to offer.

One of the bigger events this summer is June 14 when Ride the Rockies makes a stop in Cañon City.

"It's going to be a great opportunity to showcase our whole community, and we hope we'll have a really good turn out for the pig party at Macon Street Plaza," said Beth Katchmar, who represents the Fremont County Tourism Council, the Cañon City Chamber of Commerce and the Cañon City Merchants Association.

Hundreds of bicyclists are expected to spend the last night of their seven-day, 513-mile trek in Cañon City. The ride begins in Telluride June 8 and wraps up June 15 in Colorado Springs.

"They will ride across the Royal Gorge Bridge and then arrive in town about 11 o'clock that Friday morning," Katchmar said. "Then, they will go the middle school, where they will camp.

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Nonprofit groups are invited to participate by setting up booths at the Cañon City Middle School or at Macon Plaza to offer goods, services or information about their organizations.

The tour is represented by all 50 states and 18 foreign countries. It is a non-competitive event open to cyclists of all ages and riders who are encouraged to ride at their own pace.

In addition to the cyclists, organizers, family members and others accompany the group on their journey, bringing in hundreds of people to Fremont County for the weekend.

On the evening of June 14, Macon Plaza will offer live music, a beer tent, vendors, food and more.

"The biggest thing is to get these people to come back," Katchmar said. "It could be upwards of 3,500 people coming to town that one day."

The group will make its way out of town June 15 with a stop in Florence before making their way to the finish line in Colorado Springs.

"The Florence merchants are going to open at 5 o'clock in the morning and so hopefully people will do some shopping over there and they're prepared to ship things," Katchmar said.

For more information on Ride the Rockies and their visit to Cañon City, call 275-2331.

The Bicycle Tour of Colorado also is expected to roll into town June 22 during their loop tour.

"It's a group out of Denver with 500 to 750 people," Katchmar said. "They will stay at Cañon City High School and then go to the Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival for their party."

The group will spend the night in town when they come back through on June 29. Organizers are working on planning a party for them at Rudd Park with a beer garden and food.

Another new event this year that also is expected to bring a large group of visitors to the area is the state swim meet Aug. 2-4 at the Icabone Pool.

"That will be about 450 swimmers and their families," Katchmar said. "I think we'll have really good attendance because we're centrally located (in the state)."

For more information on upcoming community events, visit royalgorgetravel.com that is updated by the Fremont County Tourism Council and the Cañon City Chamber of Commerce.